I'm Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC - a licensed therapist, national speaker, author of May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies (Johns Hopkins University Press), and founder of both FoodAllergyCounselor.com and the Academy of Food Allergy Counseling and its therapist directory. My monthly emails share practical tips on managing food allergy anxiety, caregiver stress, and the emotional impact of managing food allergies, plus allergy community news and my book updates. I look forward to connecting!
Common Food Allergy Counseling Questions
Hi Reader, I often get asked the following questions about food allergies and counseling: "Does everyone with a food allergy diagnosis need therapy?"
"If not, when would those managing food allergies most benefit from mental health services?"
Q: Does everyone with a food allergy diagnosis need therapy?A: No, not everyone managing allergies needs to attend therapy. Whether someone feels they need therapy is based on a number of factors, which includes how well someone deals with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, how they cope with stress, their allergy-related mindset, and how their daily functioning is impacted by managing their food allergy. Especially if someone was already managing a mood disorder such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, they may find that their own or their child's food allergy diagnosis is difficult to adjust to. Upon receiving a food allergy diagnosis, individuals are tasked with not only accepting the diagnosis, but also adapting to a lifestyle that includes ongoing food allergy management. Therefore, it's not surprising that some may struggle with this adjustment. Here is just a snippet of data illustrating the impacts that food allergy has on a family's quality of life:
And for adult onset food allergies, the acceptance, adjustment and adaptation process can be even more difficult, as it requires a major lifestyle change after many years without food allergy management. However, even with data showing that managing food allergy can feel stressful, that still doesn't mean everyone with food allergy should receive therapy. Therefore, when an individual or caregiver managing food allergy reaches out for therapeutic services, don't just assume they need therapy because of their food allergy diagnosis. Complete a thorough assessment and exploration of how living with food allergy impacts their daily functioning and what they're hoping to get out of food allergy counseling, paying special attention to how they've attempted to accept, adjust, and adapt to their food allergy thus far. For more on this topic, check out this FARE article written by allergy-informed psychologist, FAC member, and FAC Behavioral Health Advisor Paige Freeman, PhD: "Food Allergy Anxiety - When Is It Time to See a Therapist?" Q: When would those managing food allergies most benefit from mental health services?"A: Individuals and families managing food allergy may find that while they initially managed things well - having accepted and adapted to the diagnosis - specific experiences or life phases may have thrown them off course. This may then lead to the consideration of therapy with an allergy-informed mental health professional. Research focused on psychosocial and mental health impacts of food allergy notes that times of transition and change may be predictable times when someone may need extra support. These might include:
Any of these transitions and experiences could trigger increased distress and anxiety. As mentioned earlier, depending on a number of variables including how the individual and family manage high levels of stress and anxiety, they may suddenly find it harder to cope. Therefore, the goal would be to help them find their way back to a more manageable approach to life with their food allergy. This might include working with them on the following:
While not an exhaustive list of times and triggers that might bring someone to therapy, it's a useful list to help understand why someone who might have managed FA-related stressors well pivots and decides they now need therapy. For more on this topic, check out the following paper:
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Copyright © 2023 The Food Allergy Counselor, Inc. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical or mental healthcare advice of your own healthcare provider. By reading this email, the reader acknowledges that there is no therapist-patient relationship between them and the author(s). If you think you are observing a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 immediately. |
The Food Allergy Counselor
I'm Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC - a licensed therapist, national speaker, author of May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies (Johns Hopkins University Press), and founder of both FoodAllergyCounselor.com and the Academy of Food Allergy Counseling and its therapist directory. My monthly emails share practical tips on managing food allergy anxiety, caregiver stress, and the emotional impact of managing food allergies, plus allergy community news and my book updates. I look forward to connecting!
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